It's been quite a while since I sat down to write some things down. Since the article I wrote in the summer pertaining to the care and feeding of a dancers feet, I have since been diagnosed with arthritis in my left foot, in the space where the bones of my first toe, meet the ball of my foot.
Both my doctor and I were thinking along the lines of a stress fracture, not uncommon for dancers and other athletes. However, an x-ray revealed something neither of us expected.
This diagnosis has caused me to step back and reevaluate everything about my dancing and other activities. Things like making sure I am using the whole of my foot. Being certain that I have the appropriate padding in my dance shoes, tennis shoes, heels... ALL the shoes.
As summer turns to fall and I have pulled out my wooly socks from the dark recesses of the drawer, I have learned that my left foot has real issues with being cold.
This... is a problem... a big problem.
Not only does the cooler air pose a problem, so does the fact that I also have Reynaud's Syndrome.. Where my extremities can be so cold and numb, even in the worst heat of the summer. This means that my hands and feet are always cold.
So, I have done some serious thinking about the packing of the things that go into the gig bag. Along with the safety pins, make up, eyelash glue and all of the other incidentals that float around in the bottom of The Black Hole of Calcutta-- also known as my gig bag --
There will be residing permanently- thick wool socks and slippers... Hand/foot warming packs that hunters will use to stave off the cold.
This all, just in case, the pain is bad and I need the extra warmth until I can get home from the show and pamper my foot accordingly.
I refuse to allow this to slow me down dance-wise... especially when I feel like I am finally hitting my stride and comfort zone.
I know that if I am smart about this, plan carefully and take care of my feet, that I can continue to dance for a long time yet.
I can repeat enough to other dancers. Care for your feet, they don't have replacement parts.